Set Me Free
by K. Brooker
Summary: It's almost Halloween again in the town of Haddonfield, and the residents are anxiously waiting for the first signs of trouble to appear in their usually peaceful community. Cai is the bullied outcast and the new girl in town; and she has yet to learn what keeps Haddonfielders awake at night. Rated M for future chapters! Reads Reviews are greatly appreciated and much welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

**Set Me Free**

_Chapter One_

The early evening sun cast a rich glow across the town. The clouds in the sky took on all shades of purple, pink, and orange. The air was beginning to cool, as autumn was not far away, and a light wind blew through the streets. She tightened the scarf around her neck, hoping to block the brief cold. Clutching her school books to her chest, she traveled along the deserted street with nothing but the dark houses as company.

As she walked, she took a quick peek over her shoulder. She was catapulted forward as her shoe was caught on a rather large crack in the sidewalk. She hit the pavement face first. Her books skidded ahead of her, coming to rest a few feet away. She grumbled inaudibly as she slowly picked herself up.

"Damn it, Cai." She mumbled under her breath. She brushed herself off and proceeded to re-gather her books. Stuff like this had been happening an awful lot lately. Whether she wanted to or not, she always found the time to make a complete idiot of herself.

That is just one of the struggles that come with being the new kid. Cai had just moved to Haddonfield from yet another small town that she didn't even bother to learn the name of. Ever since she was small, her parents were constantly moving from place to place, dragging her along for the ride. She had lived in so many places that she just decided to stop keeping track. Her family never stayed in a place for more than a couple months at best. Then it was off to "new frontiers" as her father would say.

And now she was here. She had been living in Haddonfield for roughly two weeks, enough time for her to be enrolled in the local community college. People always say that college is so much better than high school, that everyone makes friends no matter what, but they are mistaken. Cai had been attending the college since a week ago, and still nothing. In fact, it was the exact opposite. She was constantly being pushed and shoved through the halls rudely. And her fellow classmates would always turn their noses up at her as she walked by. The worst part was the constant fear of being chased down by the college's resident bullies. Even though she was a young woman, the students at the school didn't pay that any mind. They treated her as if she was just an outcast. Not any specific gender or class, just an outcast.

Cai swept a lock of her long, dark hair out of her face. She kept her head down as she walked along, partially to watch for any more cracks in the cement, but mostly not to draw attention to herself. She just wanted to get home and barricade herself in her room, curling up on her bed and listen to her music. And when her mother would walk in and ask how her day went or how many new friends she made, Cai would say the same thing that she's been saying for years. "My day was fine, mom. I didn't make any friends, but that's okay."

A tear slid down her cheek. Her face remained expressionless, but the tears flowed anyway. She just couldn't understand why people did find the time to get to know her. It was always the same wherever she went. Everyone saw her as a stranger that needed to be avoided and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why.

The sound of a revving engine brought her out of her trance. Her head snapped up and she turned to look behind her. The sound had come from a dark blue jeep that was stationary at the far end of the street. Cai froze in her tracks, recognizing the vehicle. It belonged to a boy she learned was Jeremy. He was the leader of the group of students that bullied her. He was in the driver's seat, yelling over his shoulder. His posse was shouting and whooping from the back of the car. Three were seated, but the other four were nearly spilling out the sides of the jeep. They were waving around bottles of what Cai believed was beer.

She just watched, hoping they would drive away, but out of nowhere, a redhead named Tyler stood up and pointed straight at her. "Hey, guys!" She bellowed loud enough for Cai to here. "Look who it is!" The rest of the gang stopped their banter and stared at her.

Jeremy took a swig of his drink and tossed the bottle from the vehicle. It shattered on the pavement. "Well, well." A malicious grin spread across his face. His voice grew louder. "Someone's out a little late, don't you think?"

Cai didn't speak. Not that she didn't want to, though. In fact, she wanted very much to tell them to leave her alone, but her mouth wouldn't listen to her brain. She was standing stock still on the sidewalk, unable to move willingly.

"What are you doing out so late, huh?" A blonde girl standing in the back of the jeep spoke up. "Don't you have a curfew to be home by?" She laughed at her failed attempt of sarcasm.

Tyler wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I think we should… help her along, don't you Jeremy?

"Yeah, I think we should. Her parents might worry." Jeremy and his gang grinned wildly as he stepped on the gas. The car screeched on the road, before gained traction and lurching forward. There were more howls and calls from the passengers as the blue monster sped towards her.

Finally, Cai was able to regain control of her body. She immediately whipped around and began running for all she was worth. She threw her books to the ground as she ran. The noise of the car and its riders grew ever closer and she knew they were going to run her down. She risked a glance backwards to see the jeep was gaining. She knew she would never make it home in time. Her house was much too far away.

Cai ran for her life as the car kept coming. The rumble of the engine mad her her feel as though her bones were vibrating. She took another glimpse over her shoulder to see the jeep twist off the road an up onto the sidewalk. She returned to her gaze forward, desperately searching for a place to hide, or at least someplace that the car couldn't fit.

Her eyes caught sight of an old house that looked as if it was falling apart. The paint was peeling and the shingles on the roof were coming loose. She didn't see cars parked around the house and there weren't any lights shining through the dirty and broken windows. She thought it was her best chance. It would at least give her a few extra seconds of escape.

Cai took a hard left as the car nearly caught her ankles. She barreled up the steps and wrenched open the door. She ran up the stairs, nearly flew into one of the rooms, and hid in the closet. She sat there as her heart raced. Her breaths wavered as she fought to regain lost oxygen.

Minutes passed and there wasn't the sound of footsteps searching for her in house. She worked up the nerve to open the closet door. She took a nice long look around before calling it good. She slipped from the small room and made her way over to the window, being sure to stay out of sight. The room she was in overlooked the street she had previously been. Down on the sidewalk, with the car now parked back on the street, was Jeremy and his groupies. They were all in a line on the sidewalk, looking confused. Jake scratched his head and said something to Tyler, who then replied and said something to Jeremy. Cai couldn't hear what they were saying, but at least they weren't coming after her anymore.

Jeremy cursed to himself. That little bitch was crazy. "How could she go in there?" He asked aloud. He wasn't sure why, but he hated her guts with a burning passion. Ever since she came to Haddonfield, he'd seen her as a thing of disgust. He loved picking on her and making her feel scared out of her mind. And he was so close to finishing her off, when the creepy shit just had to go into the one house that he, nor anyone else, would dare approach.

Jake scratched his head in confusion. "I have no idea, man. Do you think she even knows about the house?"

"Apparently not." Tyler cut in. "Anyone in their right mind wouldn't dare to go into that place."

Chrissie huffed and folded her arms across her well-endowed chest. "Well, _she_ isn't in her right mind in the first place!"

A soft spoken voice came from a pretty, brown haired girl with glasses. "Maybe she thought it was her only safety." The girl said. "Maybe she wouldn't have gone in there if we hadn't chased her."

"Shut up, Dana!" Chrissie shouted. "Admit it, you hate her, too."

"I don't hate her," Dana called back. "I just… well… She's just a student like us! She doesn't deserve to be treated badly."

Tyler shivered dramatically. "But she gives me the creeps!"

Jeremy glared at the house before hopping back into his jeep. He didn't care if the bitch wanted to die or not. "Come on, guys. If she wants to get herself killed, then let her. Just one less asshole to deal with in Haddonfield."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Cai blew out a sigh of relief as the car sped away and out of sight. She was more than happy to let the gang take all the time they needed to get as far from her as possible. Man, she really hated those jerks. But the only problem was that she was too frightened to do anything about it. What her brain told her to do, her body wouldn't respond. She would stand there, like an idiot, just waiting for something bad to happen, as was the case in the previous few minutes.

Cai turned from the dust encrusted window and started for the door. She felt as though she was safe enough to begin the last half of her trek home. As she was about to exit the room, something caught her eye. A little glimmer of light had struck the corner of her vision. She turned her head towards the source of the light and found a small stuffed bear settled neatly on a bedside table.

Cai made a slight detour, walking over to the table. She picked up the bear and studied it closely. What had initially gotten her attention was a collar the bear was wearing. It was red and had a faux jewel suspended from the front. It made little rainbows as the evening sun shined upon it. Cai grabbed the bear's arm and moved it around. The bear was equipped with poseable appendages. The fur on the stuffed animal was white and curly. Its eyes were the generic brown, glossy beads found on any stuffed bear. Its mouth was embroidered into a smile with black thread.

It was rather cute. It sort of reminded Cai of the stuffed bear she'd had as a child, only hers was lost somewhere in the move between Blair Nebraska and Weston Missouri. And hers did not have the collar or the smile. She put the stuffed bear back in the spot she had found it, next to a cobweb coated lamp and a cracked picture frame.

She cocked her head to one side as she saw the picture frame. She picked it up and dusted the glass off with the sleeve of her turtleneck shirt. The glass was split into a something similar to a spider's web, as if it had been dropped at one point. Some of the glass pieces came loose and fell to the floor, but what was odd about the frame, was that there wasn't a picture to go along with it. That was a little strange.

_Why a frame, but no picture?_ Cai thought. Due to the frame still being on the bedside table, she would have thought there would be a photo as well. She shrugged her shoulders and set the frame back into its place. The house looked as if it hadn't been occupied in a while, so she summed it up to either the photo had been taken when the family left, or it had been stolen in later years.

Cai looked over to the window once more. She hadn't realized how much time had passed! The sun was nearly set and the room was rapidly becoming dark. She took a last glance around the old room. There was a dresser against one wall, a bookshelf, and a small desk. That was pretty much it besides the twin sized bed.

She moved one side of her sooty black hair behind her ear, about to leave, when she heard the floor boards creak behind her. Cai felt the air in the room become heavy. Something wasn't right. Her heart beat thumped just a little harder, a sudden unease making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She waited for the sound to appear again, but it didn't. She slowly pivoted around, hoping it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Cai let out a short, involuntary scream before a hand wrapped around her throat, silencing her cries. Her eyes went wide as saucers as the hand lifted her off the floor. She struggled in its grasp. It slammed her up against the wall with enough force to cause the shelves to tremble.

Cai lashed out with her arms and legs, trying her hardest to get free. She was rapidly loosing breath, and none was being allowed back into her lungs. She tried aiming for the assailant's face, but the arm holding her to the wall was too long. She couldn't see who was attacking due to the darkness in the room, but she could tell it was fairly large.

She choked a bit from the pressure on her windpipe. Her struggles became weaker as the figure kept the precious oxygen from entering her body. The silhouette brought its free arm towards her and Cai noticed what it had in its hand. She gave her last, fleeting energy to her futile thrashes, clawing at the hand around her neck. The figure pointed a large kitchen knife at her. He didn't make a sound. He just aimed the knife at her face.

Cai's vision turned blurry, developing black spots around the edges. Her fights slowed considerably as her arms start to slip to her sides. All Cai could do was focus on the blade hovering all too close to her face.

That was when the hold around her throat loosened and she fell to the floor. Cai immediately sucked in a lungful of air, sputtering and choking as she attempted to breathe again. She sat up and moved her own hand to her neck, rubbing it where the powerful grip had squeezed her.

Cai looked up between shaking breaths. The silhouette stood not three feet in front of her, still shrouded in the blackness of the room. Terrified, she backed away as far as she could, wedging herself between the wall and the bedside table. She sat there, watching the figure for any sign of possible threat. But it made none. In fact, it remained motionless completely. It stood there, its hefty knife glinting in the moonlight, staring at her while she stared right back.

Cai was too scared to speak. She was able to find her breath once again, thankfully. Her head was pounding, but that didn't matter. She used her legs to try to push herself father away from the unmoving shape, but her actions only caused the stuffed teddy bear to fall into her lap. She jumped from the sudden motion, but the bear just smiled up at her innocently.

Cai jerked her sight back up to the shape. It stood stock still for another, long moment, then it slowly put the knife into its pocket. It languidly got down onto one knee and leaned toward her. Its face entered the shaft of moonlight and Cai got a good look at the attacker.

It was actually a he. He wore a dark colored jumpsuit and a disturbing, white mask. The skin of the mask was becoming torn; the hair attached to the top of the mask was unkempt. Cai stared straight into where his eyes would be. All she could see, from the angle of the moon, was black holes.

In one, deliberate movement, he reached forward. Cai lifted her hands to protect herself from another attack, but it didn't come. She opened her eyes, curious as to why he didn't strike her. She flinched as his hand snatched the teddy bear from her lap. He stood back up, again with slow fluidity. He held the bear in his hand for several long moments, just staring at it.

Cai watched him, wondering if his next move would be to kill her or the bear. He did neither. He cast the bear to the side, turned, and walked out of the room.

Cai stat there in silence for the longest time. She didn't want to move for fear of the assailant coming back to finish his job. After what was undoubtedly the longest hour of her life, Cai felt it was okay to stand. She hadn't heard any more whining wood floors or footsteps coming up the stairs. Whoever had almost murdered her must have been gone by now.

Cai shakily got to her feet. Her legs were stiff from being held for a prolonged time in one position. Careful not to cause too much noise, Cai stepped towards the door and peeked around the frame. She scanned the hallway, searching for any sign of the shape. She didn't see anything.

Summing up what scant amounts of courage she had, Cai bolted from the room. She nearly flew down the stairs in her panic to escape the house. She flung the heavy front door open and catapulted herself from the house's deck. She sprinted down the sidewalk to where her college books lay, scattered across the asphalt. Picking them up wildly, Cai squeezed them close with all her might. She tore back the other way, passing the house in a hurry. She just wanted to get home.

As she raced past the eerily dark dwelling, she couldn't stop herself from looking back. There was nothing to see other than the blacker than black windows and the peeling paint. Cai tightened her grip on the books, dashing from the looming shadow of the house. She felt another wave of expressionless tears drop down her cheeks.

Cai didn't stop running until she reached her home. She took hold of the doorknob to open the big oak door, but stopped herself. She stood there, outside her home, contemplating what had just happened to her. It was all so outlandish, so foreign. Cai was having second thoughts as to if the events had actually take place or not. It seemed absolutely real to her, but it was simply too far-fetched. A crazy masked man with a knife about to kill her and then doesn't, just didn't fall under the category of real-life occurrences to her.

Cai shook her head, coming to the conclusion that it must have been a dream or a hallucination. She looked down at her outfit. She was a mess. Her dark purple turtleneck and her jeans were both covered in dust, and her hair was disheveled. She stole a second to fix her dark locks into a semi-normal style. She brushed off her clothes. There were still the remnants of grime on the seat of her pants, but that was as good as it was going to get.

Cai opened the door and was met by her distraught mother. Her mother rushed over to her, hugging her so tightly it almost hurt.

"Oh, my baby!" She wailed while twisting and turning this way and that. "You scared me to death! Where in the world have you been?"

"Mom… you're… crushing me…" Cai wheezed. Her mother let her go, but moved her attention to Cai's face, squishing and mashing her cheeks. Cai batted her mother's hands away. "I'm fine, mom. I just got turned around on the way home."

Her mother still held an expression of worry. "But you don't look fine." She examined the scrape on Cai's chin where she'd fallen earlier. "You have a cut, and you're pale!"

"It's nothing. I tripped is all." Cai began edging past her mother towards her room.

Her mother followed close by. "Are you sure, because if you've been in any trouble you can tell me. You know that."

Cai opened the door to her bedroom and rolled her eyes. "I know, mom. If something happened, believe me, you'd be the first to know." _Yeah, right. _Cai thought. _I'd tell you sure, and then become even more of a laughing stock as you tell the town your daughter thought she was attacked by a madman that probably doesn't even exist._

Her mom made a pouty face at her. "Alright. Well, get some sleep, honey. You have classes in the morning."

"Yes, mom." Cai closed the door. Once again, she wondered why she still even lived at home with her parents. She was twenty-one and in college, so why she didn't find an apartment evaded her. She dropped her books on the floor and made her way to the bathroom adjacent to her room. She stared at herself in the mirror.

"It was nothing." She told herself. "You fell and hit your head. You must have just imagined it all. Yeah, that's it. It was a hallucination." She turned the sink faucet on and splashed cold water on her face. It didn't make her feel any better.

Cai exchanged her grimy clothes for a large t-shirt and fleece shorts. She climbed into her bed, pulling the fluffy comforter up to her neck. She rolled to her side. Sleep didn't come easily. Finally, Cai fell into a light and fitful slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello Readers! K. Brooker here. I'm not one to usually add in Author's Notes to writings, but a kind review reminded me that I should clear up something up a little. This story is taking place between Halloween Two and Halloween Four. This particular story is about two years before Halloween Four. I hope I didn't disturb the story too badly with this note! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! ~ K. **_

_Chapter Three_

Michael Myers watched the girl from the shadows behind his childhood home. He had seen her before, walking along his street, but he had never paid her any mind. Only now, he did. Ever since their encounter, after she invaded his home, he had kept his eye on her. He didn't follow her farther than the end of his block, he didn't want to risk being sighted. Not yet.

Michael didn't know why he hadn't just slit her throat when he found her in his home, when he found her in his room, he just didn't. Something compelled him to let her go. It still frustrated him. What if she told someone he was still here? What if she posed some kind of threat? Michael shook his head mentally. It was baffling.

**…**

A week went by uneventful. Cai didn't let her little delusion get in the way of her taking the same route home as usual. She had shoved the incident to the back of her mind. And though it seemed to nudge her on the shoulder sometimes, she ignored it. Obviously it was a dream. Right?

Cai was on her way home once again. Her college classes were done for the day and, again, the sun was beginning to set. Three days a week she attended her college classes. The rest of the time she was at home with her studies or holed-up in her room. Some things never change.

She turned a corner, beginning along another street. She lifted her head from its position downwards. Her eyes fell on the house. It was as cold and dark and foreboding as it always was. Only this time, she knew why.

Cai had done her research. After the event that had caused her to question her sanity, Cai decided to do some investigating. She went to Haddonfield's public library to see if she could find anything about a man in a mask. She found the mother lode. There were several article clippings from newspapers all around Illinois talking about a serial killer who terrorized the town several years back. The description the papers gave of the killer matched the person that Cai had supposedly 'met.' A white, expressionless mask, dirtied mechanic's uniform, and a bulky kitchen knife. She found his name to be a one, Michael Myers who used to live in Haddonfield when he was a boy. There were two separate accounts of murder sprees conducted by the masked maniac, one when he was a kid and one as an adult. There wasn't a record of another attack by him since Halloween Night of 1978, almost eight years ago. No one had seen him since.

And that was just it. No one had seen Myers since 1978, so why was she seeing him now? Cai shook her head. It was near impossible. She had wondered how she could have imagined such an event. She must have heard a story about him at one point and her tired and fearful mind must have played a trick on her. At least, that was what Cai told herself.

Cai lowered her head, letting her hair nearly cover her face. She tightened her grip on her shoulder bag as she drew ever nearer to the house. She'd finally gotten out and bought a proper bag. It made carrying the heavy books much easier. And her movement had much improved. Much more suitable for evading persons of interest, if necessary.

Cai closed in on the Myers' house further. She was only feet from crossing over the property line, when she heard the all too familiar roar of an engine. Cai slowed her steps, but she didn't stop. She listened to the engine as it turned down the street. She hoped, she prayed it wasn't who she thought it was. Pretty much every resident in Haddonfield had a vehicle, so the chances of this vehicle belonging to Jeremy were very slim.

"Check it out, guys!" A rowdy voice barked from a ways behind her.

Cai stopped walking. She squeezed her eyes shut, a feeling of immense annoyance coming over her. She gripped her shoulder bag tighter in her hand. It was that damned jeep again with all those jerks. Cai could hear them talking and laughing, presumably at her. She heard the clinking of bottles.

_Typical. _Cai mused. _Don't drink and drive, kids. You may just become a low-life asshole. _

"What are you doing, creep?" The same person shouted to Cai.

Cai didn't turn around, but she couldn't get herself to move forward. She opened her eyes and stared at the sidewalk.

"Hey!" The voice, which she recognized to be Jake's, screamed at her. "I'm talking to you! Freak!" Cheers of encouragement ignited from the vehicle. The group was egging Jake on.

Cai furrowed her eyebrows. Maybe if she didn't acknowledge they were there, the vehicle would leave. She made up her mind, and with every last once of willpower she could muster, she began walking forward. She could tell that this surprised the gang, because their banter ceased.

But it only quit for a second. In the next instant, Cai heard Tyler's voice ring out above the others'. "Don't you walk away from us!"

Something sailed past Cai's head, causing her to recoil. It shattered on the cement in front of her. Cai realized it was an empty beer bottle. The brown glass shards sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight.

As she stared at the fragments of bottle, something came over her. Cai's face contorted in an expression of anger. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Her head snapped up and she whirled on her heels to face the vehicle of tyrants.

"Why can't you shitheads leave me alone!" Cai screeched at the group. She held her ground for several seconds before her face regained a more normal guise. She was stunned. She had never snapped at anyone like that, ever. Cai almost immediately regretted the decision to yell at them.

Jeremy leapt from the driver's seat of the vehicle. He stood in the road with a look of pure rage covering his face. "What'd you say to us, bitch?" He bellowed. He brought his arm back and chucked a beer bottle at her. It nearly caught her in the stomach, but Cai was able to jump out of the way.

The rest of his posse also sprang from the vehicle. Cai's eyes darted between them. They edged closer to her. She was about to run when it began to rain beer bottles and rocks. Cai covered her head as the group bombarded her with the heavy objects.

Cai briefly glanced up. A rock tore through the air and impacted with her forehead. Cai was knocked backwards from the blow. She hit the ground hard, half on the sidewalk, and half in the Myer's front lawn. She lay there, sprawled on the ground, dazed. Her head was spinning and she was seeing double. She tried to look around, but the world was whirling around her.

The storm of bottles and stones stopped. Cai barely registered the sound of screaming as the bash to her skull sent her into unconsciousness.

**...**

Jeremy grit his teeth as he hurled the rock at Cai. It hit her square in the head and he mentally patted himself on the back. The impact had sent her onto her back. He was very satisfied with himself. Finally, he had gotten his rightful hit. He had been waiting for weeks to clock this chick in the head, and it felt great to finally get the opportunity.

Jeremy ended his barrage of rocks, as did the others. Jake and Tyler high-fived and gave him a thumbs-up. The girls, Chrissie, Vivian, and Sam said some things to each other before busting out laughing. The only one who hadn't partaken in the attack was Dana. Jeremy knew she wouldn't.

_Goody-goody._ Jeremy thought inwardly. He dusted his hands of and climbed back into his jeep, starting it up. He was about to call for his troop, when Vivian began screaming.

Jeremy looked up to see what she was screaming at. His heart thumped hard against his ribcage as he saw what the source of the commotion was. His eyes widened and he called for his friends to "Get in the damn car!"

From behind the infamous Myers' house came a tall, white-masked figure. He stalked towards them, his knife held tight in his hand. It glistened in the light. Jeremy instantly knew who it was. _Michael Myers!_ He silently shrieked.

Jeremy pounded on the dashboard of his car as his gang practically threw themselves headfirst into the vehicle. He kept his eyes locked on the hulking killer. It had been years since Myers' murder spree! Everyone believed he was gone for good! And now he was back.

"Move man!" Tyler's voice jolted Jeremy out of his trance. Jeremy slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward. Jeremy caught a last glimpse of Myers almost slicing into Tyler's stomach as they sped away in the jeep. He could have sworn Myers was looking directly at him.

**...**

Michael watched the girl as she walked closer toward his home. He wasn't going to try to kill her. He wanted to watch her. She was just about to pass him when he heard someone shouting. The shouting must have been for her because she stopped walking. Michael glanced down the road. There was a vehicle parked not far from his home.

There was more yelling before the girl tried to walk again. Michael saw one of the boys in the back of the car throw something at her. She ducked away from the object and seemed to become infuriated. Michael saw her stance turn rigid. Her hands curled into fists and she turned around to shout back at the people in the car.

Michael saw the driver of the vehicle get out and heave something at the girl. The rest of the people in the car also got out. They all began following the driver in throwing whatever they could get their hands on at the girl. The driver threw a hand-sized rock at the girl. It hit her in the head and she fell backwards.

Michael didn't understand why, but this enraged him. Without a second thought, he stepped from behind the house, stomping towards the vehicle. Michael kept his gaze on the driver. One of the girls in the group saw him first as she burst out screaming. He raised his knife a bit, emphasizing his intentions.

The group began piling back into the car. Michael lifted his knife as he reached the side of the car. He was mere inches from eviscerating a boy with red hair when the vehicle raced away.

Michael watched them go. He glared from behind his mask. If he didn't want to be so cautious, he would have followed them, most likely killing them. He didn't know why those people throwing rocks at the girl made him so angry. It just did. Michael gripped his knife tighter and checked the street. No one was out, and apparently no one had seen the commotion. Very little people lived on his street anymore. They were all too appalled at what had begun at his home.

Michael seethed his knife. He walked over to the girl, standing over her limp form. After much inner debating, he bent over, scooping her into his arms. As a second thought, Michael stooped over again to grab her bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder, heading for his home.

Michael was surprised at how light the girl was. She was thin, even for how old he presumed her to be. She was short, also. Maybe five and a half feet tall by his estimate. She fit neatly in his arms, and was easy to carry.

He brought her into his home. There was already a noticeable bruise showing on her forehead. The shot to her head must have caused her to pass out. He climbed the stairs and entered his big sister's old room. Michael dropped the girl onto Judith's bed. The blankets sent up a small puff of dust from the force.

Michael cocked his head to one side as he stared at her. He still couldn't understand what kept him from murdering her that night. He let a low, guttural grunt escape his throat as the thought found its way into his mind once again. It annoyed him. He wanted a reason, a motif. It just wasn't to be found.

Michael unhurriedly turned and stalked out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

Cai gradually began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she slowly came back around. Her head was throbbing as if a boxing match was taking place inside her brain. She groaned and scrunched her face in pain. She raised a hand to her forehead and pulled back sharply as the touch caused a twinge of pain to shoot through her skull.

She laid there for several minutes, waiting for the ache to subside. It finally dulled enough to where Cai could open her eyes. She breathed heavily as she lifted her eyelids. She turned her head, examining her surroundings. For a little while, she was confused. Her mind was still fuzzy. At first, Cai believed she was in her own room at home. She wasn't studying the room closely enough.

Cai's thoughts cleared enough to see that this was definitely not her room. She sat up but immediately cringed as the movement sent a wave of pain from her head to her feet. She let the pain work its course before ebbing to a dull roar. Cai was too groggy to panic. But she knew this was not the place she had been when Jeremy shot her with the rock. She knew she had to leave, and quickly.

Cai moved to the side of the bed she was resting on. It was very stiff, Cai observed. The mattress felt like a wooden plank and the blankets had become a darker color that normal from the dust. The rest of the room was just as grimy. Dust covered almost everything from the shelves to the vanity mirror along the opposite wall. There were other indicators around the small space to conclude that this room had once belonged to a girl.

Cai realized that there was no light coming from the window adjacent to the bed. It was night outside. Whether it was late night or early morning, Cai couldn't tell. The only source of light was coming from a candle flickering on the trunk at the end of the bed. Shadows danced on the walls from the glow. It made Cai feel uneasy.

Cai carefully stood. She swayed a little, but was able to catch herself before she fell. She reached the open door to the bedroom and latched onto the handle. Cai supported herself on the knob as her body refused to move properly. _That must have been some throw…_ Cai thought to herself as she remembered the events of the previous day. _Though it was my fault, I guess. I should never have yelled at them._

Cai moved forward, grabbing the door frame. She peered around the frame. The hall was dark. The candle's light only reached so far and the rest of the passage was completely shadowed. Cai stepped from the room and looked ahead of herself. She clasped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from gasping out loud.

There was another room across the hallway. There was a small bed, a bedside table, and a white teddy bear with a collar. Cai's eyes widened immensely. She knew this place!

"No! No, no!" Cai said to herself. "This can't be happening! I have to be dreaming. I'm dreaming! That's all." Cai closed her eyes, and concentrated, trying to wake up. She opened them again, but she was still there! She tried pinching her arm, but that didn't work either!

Cai had her eyes closed, trying one last time to get herself to wake, when she heard footsteps from the hall. She flicked open her eyes and glanced towards the shadowed end of the hallway. Cai didn't see anything. Her vision strained to see into the darkness.

From out of the shadows, came a shape. It took three steps in her direction and stopped. The light from the candle just barely illuminated the figure. It was tall and hulking. Its white mask seemed even more menacing from the subtle light. Cai fixated on the monster before her. Her heart began to pound to the point where it almost hurt.

She knew this person. She'd done her homework. Cai's breath caught in her throat. It was Michael Myers! The one who had terrorized Haddonfield years ago. Now she knew this was no dream at all. And neither was their previous encounter. This was reality.

All of a sudden, he began walking towards her. Cai sucked in a lungful of air, booking it in the opposite direction. She felt her brain thudding painfully inside her head. It caused her to squeeze her eyes closed. It was only a moment, but when she reopened her eyes, she was at the top of the wooded staircase. She hadn't expected the stairs to come along so fast. She tried to slow her strides but instead, her feet caught on each other and she tripped.

Cai's body turned as she began to fall. She was about to tumble backwards down the staircase, when a big hand reached for her. It caught the front of her shirt, suspending her above the stairway. Cai stared up at the masked man with a mixture of surprise and fear filling her. She kept her eyes fixed on the holes of his mask for what felt like forever.

Finally, the man lifted her from her precarious perch. He took his time in doing so, but he rotated around and set Cai down onto the floor, putting himself between her and the stairs. Cai warily began backing away from Myers' looming shape. She thought back on the reports in the newspapers about what Myers had done. Cai was afraid that she would be the first victim in his second killing binge.

Cai backed herself into a corner. She didn't take her gaze off Myers' mask. She watched him tilt his head to the side as if contemplating something. She scrunched into the corner further as Myers' bulky form came closer to her. He was right above her now. Cai just stared. She followed the path of his hand as it extended in the direction of her head. He moved one side of her hair out of the way of her face. He grabbed her chin with his other hand and lifted her face upwards. To Cai, it seemed as if he was studying something.

He relocated his hands to his sides before heading back in the direction he came. He descended the staircase and disappeared from view. Cai stood, frozen in the corner. She blinked several times, trying to form clear thoughts in her scrambled brain case.

_W-Why hadn't he killed me? _Cai pondered. That was twice now that she had found herself in the presence of the murderer, so why hadn't he taken her life yet? Cai certainly didn't want to die. In fact, she rather enjoyed life, quite a bit, but in every report of Myers' victims, he had always killed them within minutes of an encounter. Why was she being allowed to survive for so long?

Cai decided to think more on it later. She had regained full control over her extremities and surged for the stairs. She knew the front door wasn't far beyond that. If she could get down the staircase, she stood a good chance of being able to leave the house. She rushed down the steps somewhat ungracefully. She hit the lower floor of the house and stretched for the exit door.

Cai almost had hold of the doorknob, when something took hold of her waist. Cai cried out harshly as she was carried away from her way out of the killer's home. She glanced up to see Myers had her in his grasp. He toted her back up the stairs.

"Let me go!" Cai managed to yell. She kicked out at Myers, but his grip never loosened. He carried Cai back into the room she had woken up in and released her onto the bed. Cai fell in an awkward position from her struggling. She quickly moved into a pose that would be better suited for escape if necessary.

Myers raised his arm and dropped something in front of her. It landed with a wisp of dust coming from both it and the bedspread. Cai realized it was a first aid kit. She tilted her head back up to meet Myers' face.

"What…" She began in a timid voice. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Cai completed her question in a flurry.

Myers pointed to the injury on her forehead.

Cai thought she knew what he was getting at. "You want me to tend to my head?"

He slowly nodded his head one time.

Cai responded by opening the little kit. She pinned the one side of her hair behind her ear to allow better access to the injury. She thought for a moment before gathering up the container of healing items and carefully sliding off the bed. Cai was still worried about what this beast might do, so she was cautious about moving too fast. She made her way over to the mirror at the one side of the room and sat down in the chair.

Cai placed the first aid kit on the ledge of the mirror. She could see Myers' reflection watching her from the side of the bed. He hadn't moved. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand. First of all, she wiped the bruise gently with the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt. She noticed a smear of blood stained the dark fabric. Her head stung from her actions. Cai took a good look at the wound in the mirror. There was a decent sized gash where there rock has struck her.

Taking the antiseptic from the case, Cai sprayed the wound to kill whatever diseases might have gotten into the cut. She then took out a sterile gauze pad big enough to cover the laceration and taped it over top. She removed her hair from her ear and let her dark mane recover her forehead. She closed the kit back up and stayed sitting.

Cai stared through the mirror at the masked monster. She was hoping Myers would leave so she could try her hand at escaping again. But something took her thoughts away from that. Myers had brought her a first aid kit. If he had wanted to harm her, he wouldn't have given her something to heal her injury. The feeling of fearing for one's life began to subside as Cai realized that maybe Myers didn't intend to hurt her.

_But why would he help me?_ Cai wondered. She wasn't allowed to dwell on the thought for long as the reflection of Myers made a point at motioning for the bed. Cai watched him for a second. She wasn't sure what he meant. She took a shot in the dark. "Rest?" She asked.

Myers nodded in the same fashion as before.

Cai gathered up the first aid kit in her arms and gingerly walked over to the bed. She didn't make eye contact with Myers, but she raised the kit towards him. "Thank you." She said quietly. He took the case from her hands in one swift motion.

Cai kept her head down as she turned to the bed. She really, really did not want to stay the night here, but she feared she had no choice. Myers hadn't budged from his position of blocking the doorway. She suspected that any attempt to escape would end up with her ass right back in this room.

Cai looked the bed over. It was pretty filthy. It was old and dusty. She removed the bedspread and shook it out. She quickly glanced over her shoulder at the figure standing behind her to see if her movements had disturbed him. They hadn't seemed to. Cai gave the blanket another good shake. She did the same with the pillows, making sure to bang on the pillow cases. She did not feel like having spiders crawling on her in the night.

Cai figured that was as good as it was going to get for now. Though the mattress was hard as a board, it was relatively clean looking. Under the watchful eye of the masked murderer, Cai climbed onto the bed. She brought the bedspread close to her chin and rolled onto her side. She could still feel Myers standing there, watching her intently, but she knew there wasn't going to be a way to get him to leave. It was uncomfortable for sure, having this brute staring at her as she tried to sleep, but she was more tired than she would have wanted to be at this moment.

Cai let her eyelids drop and for a brief second before she fell asleep, a feeling of security came over her.

**…**

Jeremy paced through his apartment. He was fuming. No one believed him! No one would listen! From what he heard, his friends were having the same difficulties. No one would believe that they saw Michael Myers. Everyone just laughed it off as if it were an uncomfortable joke. He ruffled his dark brown hair in frustration.

Jeremy hissed to himself. Halloween was only two days away. Everyone knew of what went on all those years ago on Halloween night. But that was just it! It was so long ago! There hadn't been a sign of the murderer for eight whole years. So who would believe that he would be back?

Jeremy checked the clock hanging above the stove. It was 3:45 a.m. He grudgingly gave up his pacing and headed for his room. He stripped himself down to his boxer shorts and climbed into his bed. He didn't plan on sleeping anytime soon, he just wanted to rest a while.

He stared up at the ceiling, his face compressed in anger. He was mad that none of the police believed him about Myers. He was mad that his friends couldn't get through to anyone. But he was mostly made that Myers was back. Eight years ago, Myers had killed his mother. And Jeremy was not about to let that one slide.

_If you want things done right, _Jeremy thought, _you've got to do them yourself. _

Once Halloween night came around, Jeremy would get his revenge on Myers. One way or another, that bastard was going to hurt.

**…**

_October 30. Maybe about noon. _Cai made a mental note. She'd woken up hours ago. The sun had already been up when she awoke, so she assumed she'd slept at least a few hours. Her head had still hurt, but the pain now reduced itself to a dull ache.

Cai sat at the top of the staircase, resting her chin in her hand. She stared down at the door, wondering how she was going to get out of here. Her fear was nearly gone. She wasn't afraid of being in the house anymore, but she was semi-afraid of being in the house with a killer. He hadn't shown any indication of wanting to hurt her, so Cai allowed her fear to subside.

She glanced to left of the door as movement caught her vision. Cai watched Myers as he passed the stairs and went into the kitchen. She blew out a sigh. She'd tried to leave the house a couple times already today, but each time she did, Myers would either block her path, or pull her from the door. She didn't know why he was keeping her here. It was kind of frustrating. She wanted to leave and go home.

Cai stood up from her seat and walked down the stairs. She entered the kitchen, but Myers wasn't there. She checked behind herself, just in case, but he wasn't there either. She went back out of the kitchen and into the living room. He wasn't in there either. It didn't seem strange. He was pretty sneaky from what Cai could tell.

Cai turned to go back and ran headlong into a wall. She stumbled backwards a little, but not enough to fall. She lifted her head to find Myers standing in front of her. He'd snuck up behind her and she'd run into him. Wow, she felt like an idiot. She should have heard a six and half foot tall man coming towards her. Cai felt the gauze pad that was covering her wound to make sure it hadn't come loose.

"S-sorry." Cai spoke hurriedly. She kept her head down.

Myers said nothing.

Cai waited for him to say something. And when he didn't she did instead. "Don't you ever talk?" She tried her luck. She glanced up to see him shake his head deliberately in a "No."

She decided to skip right to the point. "Can I go now?"

Again, Myers shook his head left to right.

"Why can't I?" Cai asked, becoming a little annoyed. She tried to validate her intentions. "I can't stay here. I have to leave. My parents are probably worried."

Myers grabbed her wrist forcefully and began pulling her back to the staircase.

"Hey!" Cai squealed as Myers practically dragged her up the steps. She tried to pry his hand off of her, but his grip was powerful. He towed her into the same bedroom she'd been in the last half a day. He let her go.

Cai took a step away from him, rubbing her wrist where he'd squeezed it. "Why are keeping me here?" Cai wanted to know. She crinkled her eyebrows slightly. Myers pointed once again at the bed.

Cai took this time to shake her head no. "No! I don't need any more rest! I'm fine." She put a hand to her injury. "It's just a little cut. No big deal."

Myers lowered his arm and trudged out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Cai took this as a sign to back off. She sat down on the edge of the bed and folded her arms across her chest. She was sick of this game! She wanted to know why this man was holding her here. She was fine! Her head was fine! She huffed audibly.

**…**

Michael marched away from the room. He was annoyed at this girl. She didn't understand that she had to stay. He didn't want those kids to hurt her again. What he really wanted was to go and take care of them himself. He wanted to give them a taste of his power, but he also wanted to watch over the girl. From what he could tell, she had been plagued by those morons for a while.

Michael looked out the window of his home. Down the street, he saw children running along. He could make out a few costumes and bags from the stores. He knew Halloween was not far away. The day of reckoning was approaching. Soon he would show the girl's tormentors just what a real attack could do.

While the girl had been asleep the night before, Michael rummaged through her bag. He'd found several books that he presumed were for her schooling. He had checked her driver's license. He established that her name was Cai Gable and that her birthdate was March 5, 1965, confirming her age to be 21 years.

She was old enough to be on her own, so why was she so sure that her parents were worried for her? She shouldn't distress over what her parents want. Right now, she had to rest. She was injured, and she wasn't an immortal being like he was. Michael breathed heavily from behind his mask. Why did he feel so defensive towards her? He should not at all care for what happens to the girl! So why did he?

Michael shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to find the reason, and soon. It was bugging the hell out of him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, Readers! I am so sorry that this chapter took as long as it did to publish! I was on vacation for a couple of weeks and did not have internet access to write new. I hope you all are not too angry with me for the delay. Believe me, I feel rather awful about depriving you all who asked so nicely for an update. I wish to make it up to you, so have a new chapter and more to come! Here we learn how Cai is taking her captivity and who Jeremy's mother is! Thank you for reading and reviewing! ~K. **

_Chapter Five_

Evening was swiftly approaching on the town of Haddonfield. Cai sat at the kitchen table, checking the clock on the wall every few seconds. Currently it read, 6:48. Cai sighed heavily. She moved her gaze to the figure of Michael Myers standing on the archway.

_Seriously. What is it going to take to get him to release me?_

Cai looked out the window facing the sunset. She watched as the golden light slowly fell behind the horizon, sending the beginnings of darkness into the Myers house. Cai rose from the table. Her stomach grumbled audibly. Boy, she was hungry. She hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. The pain of the hunger had long since subsided, but the noise remained. Once she got out of this place, she would find a nice large meal to chow down on.

Cai walked carefully over to where Myers was watching her. His masked eyes followed her movements. In the lighting, Myers' eyes glinted from behind the fake face. Cai stopped in front of the silent man.

"Um…" She started. She'd only spoken all of eight words to Myers and she was still apprehensive to accidentally say the wrong things. "Am I allowed to go now?"

Myers shook his head in the same "No" fashion.

Cai felt her frustrations rising. "Why not?" She asked, a bit more on the angry side. "I cannot stay here, like I said before."

He just stood there, staring at her.

Cai's frustrations boiled over. She knew that snapping at this guy could bring on terrible consequences, but she was too hungry and too fed-up to care.

"No! No, I am _not_ going to stay here any longer!" Cai stormed past Myers. She reached the front door and wrenched it open. She almost took the first step outside, when she was thrown backwards. She went head-over-heals, tumbling away from the exit. She landed on her stomach.

Cai heard heavy footsteps come her way. In one motion, she flipped over and got to her feet. She turned to face her captor. She narrowed her eyes at him as he stomped toward her. Cai held her ground, an action that was very unlike the timid girl she knew she was. It was almost as if something was controlling her, but she was totally in control. Cai didn't allow the idea to sit long as Myers came to a stop just inches from her face.

"What was that for?" Cai shouted at the mute.

He didn't respond.

"I demand you tell me this instant why you are keeping me here!" She yelled again, this time with more force.

Myers clenched his fists. Cai saw that he didn't have his trusty knife with him, so the classic stabbed-to-death scenario was out of the question. Instead, Cai yelped out loud as Myers curled his arm around her middle. He'd been too fast for her to dodge away. He hefted her into the air and carried her, annoyed, into the kitchen. He rummaged in an old drawer, pulling out a piece of scrap paper and an ink pen.

Myers dropped Cai roughly onto her feet. He slammed the paper down onto the counter. Cai watched as he scribbled something with the pen. He finished the chore and shoved the paper at Cai. The force of the blow nearly knocked Cai down, but she regained her balance.

Cai lifted the now wrinkled paper into the dimming light so she could read it. The note was written as if the writer hadn't used a pencil in many years. And that seemed to be the exact case with this one. Cai was just able to read the words scrawled on the paper. "No more bullies," it said.

Cai lowered the paper. She kept her eyes on the ground for many seconds. Her mind was blank. Now she knew why Myers was holding her here. Out of nowhere, Cai pushed herself forward and embraced Myers in a hug. She squeezed her arms around him. She didn't care if he tried to pry her away or not. Myers wanted to keep her safe from her tyrants. No one had ever tried to help her before, let alone try to save her completely.

To Cai's surprise, Myers didn't react violently. Actually, he didn't react at all from what Cai could tell. He hadn't moved or made a sound, as usual, but she could care less. It was a good long minute before Cai let Myers go. She stepped back to give him space after her little display of appreciation.

"Thank you." Cai spoke quietly. "That is the nicest thing I think anyone has done for me. Ever." Though Cai felt that it was a bit much, with being holed up in the house and all, she still could see it as a very kind gesture.

Cai's vision blurred as tears began to form in her eyes. She swiped them away with the back of her hand before they could spill over. She was rubbing the water off onto her pants when she felt a heavy pressure on her head. Cai looked up, realizing that Myers was patting her head. He messed her hair up pretty good after he was done with his own friendly action.

Cai laughed softly and ran her fingers through her black tresses. All of her fears and apprehensions about this masked murderer melted away. Now she knew that his goal was not to harm her, but to help her. But, why? Cai pulled her brows together in a sudden feeling of confusion.

She voiced her concerns. "Why me, though? How come you wanted to help me? I thought you were supposed to kill people who disturbed you."

Myers' shoulders rose and fell heftily.

_Shrugging. _Cai analyzed. _He must not know either._

After a moment of vocal and physical silence, Myers' head rose until he was facing straight ahead of himself. He revolved around and walked back to the stairs, ascending them. Cai waited for his return. It was only a minute or two, but when he came back, plodding loudly down the wooden steps, he carried with him that little stuffed, curly-haired bear. Myers thrust the bear at her.

Cai grabbed it before Myers could unintentionally push her over. She studied the bear, trying to figure out why he might have given it to her. Possibly, it was to let her keep it, but Cai didn't think that was the right conclusion. "What about the bear?" She asked, looking up at Myers' mask.

He shoved his finger at the bear, pointing to it. Then, in a much gentler gesture, he pointed to her. Cai crinkled her eyebrows in thought. _The bear equals me._ Cai knew that much at least, but what she didn't know what how she equaled the bear. "How am I like it?" She wondered out loud again, keeping her eyes on the toy this time. "What makes me like the bear?"

Myers took one step to the side and grabbed the sliver of paper off the table from where Cai had left it. He took the pen and wrote down another message. When his markings were done, he handed the paper to Cai.

Cai read it to herself. _"It's a symbol. The toy is from my childhood before 'that' Halloween. It means something, but I don't know what." _The words barely fit on the paper, but Cai was able to discern them. First off, she was rather surprised at Myers' literacy. She thought he would have had very poor grammar. Clearly that wasn't the case. Secondly, Cai wondered how the bear could have saved her. What did it mean? Perhaps she would never find out. She did, however, know that her continuance on this earth was because of that little toy.

Cai hugged the bear tightly to her chest and smiled. "I don't care what the bear means." She said, grinning up at Myers. "I'm just thankful that someone cares about what I mean."

**…**

]Jeremy parked his jeep around the street corner. He demounted the vehicle and carefully maneuvered through the unoccupied backyards of recently-vacated houses. He took up a position within the shadows of bushes behind the Myers house. He was on a stakeout.

Though he really did not care, word had spread around town that Cai hadn't returned home the night he and his friends decided to have a little fun, throwing heavy objects at the girl. No one, as far as Jeremy suspected, knew about that incident. It seemed that it had disappeared along with Cai. And that was okay with his group.

Jeremy watched the still house as the sun began setting in the sky. The light was behind him, so he was able to keep his gaze inside the windows. He had been waiting there for hours, searching for that bastard Michael Myers. He knew Myers was still around. He'd seen the murderer. And he wanted revenge.

Eight years ago, his mother, Virginia Alves, was killed by the son of a bitch. She'd had her blood drained and Myers' prints were all over it, along with the other murders at the hospital. Jeremy had taken the loss of his mother very hard, as most children would. Since the moment Jeremy had heard the news, he'd pledged to get revenge.

And now he was seated outside that murderous monster's house, waiting for him to rear his ugly, masked head. It was several more minutes before he saw any movement. Finally, a figure moved in front of the window showing a portion of the kitchen. But the figure didn't match that of the tall, sturdy frame he was seeking. Instead, this figure was smaller, more fragile looking. It was the shape of a small woman.

Jeremy cocked his head quizzically. He wondered why a woman would be in the Myers house. Everyone knew about the place, and no one dared to venture in. Either this girl was crazy, or just plain stupid.

Jeremy squinted his eyes to see better in the rapidly dimming light. His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing them in an angry glare. He recognized who the woman was. It was that weirdo Cai. Obviously, the motive for going into the house was craziness.

If she was a deer, she'd be facing broad side to him. He had a clear view of her mouth as she spoke something to someone unseen. Jeremy angled himself better in his leafy cover to get a stronger view of the scene. Jeremy almost fell out of the bushes when he saw who it was that Cai was talking to. It was Myers!

Jeremy clenched his fists and ground his teeth together to stifle his rage. _Figures!_ He inwardly screamed. _The crazy chick was hanging with the mass murderer! _Something told Jeremy that he should have anticipated this to happen. When no one had seen Cai after their confrontation outside the Murder House, and after he and his friends were nearly killed by Myers, he should have suspected that it was the murderer who had kept the crazy girl from society.

Jeremy stifled his anger long enough to observe the window again. He watched as Cai became angry herself, shouting something at the stock-still-statue in front of her. She ran from him next. Jeremy came to the conclusion that Cai probably was not in the house by her own free will. He began to feel the slightest of sympathy towards her. He hated her with a passion, sure, but this scenario kind of reminded him of his mother, in a way. It was a thought that almost caused a tear to slip from his eye.

It was a long moment before Jeremy saw the pair come back into the kitchen. This time, Myers was carrying Cai roughly. He set her down and seemed to be writing something. A note of some sort was handed by him to the girl. After what felt like a while, just watching two unmoving shapes, Jeremy clapped his hand over his mouth to cut back a scream of fury.

Cai had hugged Myers! This was absurd! She couldn't be hugging this monster unless something else was going on.

Jeremy didn't wait for the two to break their embrace. He immediately ran from his cover, ignoring his need to stay hidden. He reached his car and angrily turned the ignition. He drove away in a mad screech of tires.

_That's it._ He thought to himself, rage still boiling in his stomach. _Change of plans. Tonight, I'll show the crazy bitch how real pain feels… _


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hello Readers! I feel terrible at how long it has taken me to get out this next chapter of the story, but the plain truth is that time was hard to come by and I was having trouble at figuring out where to go with it. I hope you enjoy what I have for you so far and I really do hope to shell out the next installment very soon! Thank you for reading!_**

**_~K._**

_Chapter 6_

Cai nearly skipped to the door. She had to restrain herself from doing so. She was an adult for crying out loud, so why did she feel so inclined to skip around and play like a child? Cai could tell by now that something was off. Before it had been subtle things, such as her body freezing up when she wanted to get out of a situation, or giggling at the most random of times. But now, Cai sensed that something was going on inside her head. Recently she'd stood her ground against tormenters she normally would have run from, and she hugged a serial killer she usually would have hid herself from until he was a hundred miles away. Something was off balance, but the thing Cai was having trouble with, was what that_ something_ was.

Cai reached the door, grabbing the knob. She opened the heavy barrier and took her first steps outside in two days. The sun was now completely gone and the moon was beginning her ascent into the sky. The night air was crisp. It sent a chill up Cai's spine. She stretched her arms upwards, reveling in the cold. She never felt so good to be outside in her life.

She ran down the steps of the house and onto the sidewalk, where she waited for her charge to catch up with her. It was slow going for Myers, but he made it to her side eventually. Cai had made an agreement with him. If he was so worried about her, then he could come with her to keep her safe. Myers apparently tolerated the idea. He followed carefully behind Cai as she walked down the sidewalk.

Cai could hear his heavy footfalls as she turned the corner at the end of the street. She was humming to herself. It was a song she'd heard many times as a little kid and the words seemed to stick with her through the years, even though she hadn't heard the song in ages.

"No one knows what it's like, to be the bad man." Cai sang in a whisper. "To be the sad man. Behind blue eyes."

When she was small, the song had stuck with her solely because her eyes were blue. She liked that the song had her eye color, so she rather liked the song. But as she got older, she kind of made a connection with the meaning of the song, though she couldn't place just how that came to be.

Cai kept the song rolling in her head as she and Myers walked. It was pretty dark outside, even with the rising moon, so the prospects of being spotted were still slim. And it was the night before Halloween, so those of the townspeople who weren't at parties or telling scary stories in the woods, were probably all at home in front of the TV.

The strange duo of bystander and murderer traveled through the cold streets. As they did, Cai began to hear a noise. It sounded like a squealing at first, but then as they got closer, the squeal turned into the distant whir of an alarm. It got louder as they traveled. Cai shrugged it off as somebody getting pulled over by the police.

They drew nearer still to the next turn which would take them down the street that Cai's house was on. Cai saw a vehicle turn out of her road and speed away from them. She slowed her steps until she was walking right beside Myers. She recognized the vehicle. It was the familiar blue jeep.

Cai could make out the silhouette of someone in the driver's seat, but she could not tell who it was. Chances were 90% that it was Jeremy, but he was prone to borrowing his car to his gang, so it also could have been any one of them.

Cai unknowingly gripped Myers' arm with her own. She kept her eyes straight ahead without realizing she was touching the murderer. They finally reached the final stretch of their journey when Cai froze dead in her tracks.

"No!" Cai took off at a dead sprint down the street. The sirens that had been heard earlier were coming from two ambulances and three police cruisers parked around the front of her house. Their flashing lights bounced between the homes lined down the road. Cai could barely make out the figures of her neighbors in their doorways as she ran.

Cai came to a stop in her yard. She'd never felt so scared in her life. She looked between the ambulances and her front door before making up her mind. She ran for her home, barreling in through the open door. Cai nearly threw up when she saw the scene in the living room. She had to cup her hand over her mouth to stop from puking her nonexistent lunch.

Cai's eyes brimmed with tears and a lump in throat caused her a choking sensation. Her parents were sprawled out on the floor of the living room, their eyes staring upward in lifeless terror. Cai stumbled back a step as a police officer noticed her presence and rushed for her. He put his hands on her shoulders gently and led her outside. Cai didn't fight him. She let herself be led out of her house. She was too dazed by the sight of her dead parents to put up much of a fight. They had been shot. Cai saw multiple bullet holes all over them. And the blood… There was so much blood…

The officer coaxed her to sit down on the porch. Cai wanted desperately to cry and sob, but her body wouldn't allow her to. The tears flowed but not a sound accompanied them. Cai watched as the paramedics wheeled the stretchers out her home. The stretchers were covered in bloodied white cloths, and Cai felt the need to cry become stronger. Her lip quivered as the medics closed the ambulance doors and drove off.

After a few questions from the police, of which Cai had nothing to offer, the officers left as well. One had offered to give Cai a ride to a relative or friend's house, but she declined the help. Cai got up from her spot on the porch and with legs that felt as if they were made of jelly, she fell to her knees in the yard. And finally, her body gave in. She began to cry.

Cai sobbed silently in her yard, illuminated by the dim street lights. Her shoulders shook and her throat burned, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. She sat there and cried for heaven only knew how long before her tears finally ran out. Then Cai just sat still. She stared off into the distance with a blank expression.

Cai heard someone walking over to her, though she didn't pay them any mind. She felt the presence standing behind her. She knew it was Myers just by the heaviness of the quiet. She didn't say anything though. She couldn't bring herself to. Cai watched the empty street for a long while. She felt everything, sadness, anger, guilt, loss, and yet, she felt nothing at all. She listened to her own slow breathing and waited for her brain to catch up with her body.

Eventually, Cai took a deep inhale. "I-I don't know…" She began, pausing a moment before continuing. "Who could have done this."

Cai let another tear roll over her cheek. She saw something glass glittering in the lights of the street. Myers was holding an empty beer bottle in his hand. He dropped it in front of Cai. She picked it up to examine it. She didn't know what to make of the bottle. _So what?_ She thought. _What does this thing have to do with my parents being murdered anyways?_

Then Cai saw the blood caked all up one side of the glass. She finally made the connection and her face contorted in anger. She jumped up from her seat on the ground and threw the bottle into the street. She screamed loudly as she chucked the object away from her body. It landed in the middle of the road and shattered.

She knew who did it. She knew who killed her parents. "Jeremy!" She shouted into the night. Her tone was one filled to the brim with hatred and anger. She would make him pay. Oh, she would make him pay dearly.


End file.
